$220,322 Grant Awarded for Turtle Research

Professor Bruce Kingsbury and Associate Professor Mark Jordan (biology) have received a $220,322 grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for an “Assessment of the Population Status and Genetic Composition of the Blanding’s Turtle and Spotted Turtle in Indiana” that will fund student and faculty research, student worker wages, travel costs, and associated costs through August 2019.

Kingsbury, Jordan, and their student workers will study the distribution and health of the populations of Blanding’s Turtle and Spotted Turtle across Indiana. Both species are listed as endangered by the state and of growing concern to the US Fish and Wildlife Service nationally.

The grant will also provide opportunities for graduate students and summer interns to gain experience conducting field surveys, develop geographic information systems models, conduct genetic analyses, and develop conservation approaches.